


1 Up

by batty_gal, tetra26 (batty_gal)



Category: Kyou Kara Maou
Genre: Humor, M/M, Mind Games, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-12
Updated: 2009-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-11 08:56:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batty_gal/pseuds/batty_gal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/batty_gal/pseuds/tetra26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wolfram and Saralegui play games with each other, with unexpected results and fallout. Shinou tactics, chemical provocation, passive-aggressiveness, manipulation and other dirty tricks are used to bring each other down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is the revised version of 1 Up. I removed most epithets, corrected errors, etc. Chapter one was initially a oneshot, but people seemed to like the dynamic between Wolfram and Saralegui that it turned into an entire fic.

Wolfram von Bielefeld angrily grabbed the King of Small Shimaron by the shoulders, and pressed him forcefully into the wall.

"I don't know what you're doing, or what you're planning, but stay away from my fiancé or else, 'pretty boy'," he said.

Saralegui, who seemed unfazed by the contact and the threat, smirked at him. "Interesting of you to insult me as a 'pretty boy' considering you're one yourself," he quipped. "Anyhow, I'm not planning anything, so quit being so paranoid. My issues with your beloved Maou have already been resolved, for the most part."

"Then why do you keep looking at him like that? As if you're plotting something?," Wolfram asked, suspiciously.

"Looking at someone is against the law now? I was uninformed of such a rule. Pity."

Wolfram gripped Saralegui's shoulders harder, and was secretly delighted when his face briefly flashed with pain. "I'm going to warn you one more time. If you do anything to him, I won't hesitate to destroy you – if necessary."

"I wonder what your beloved Maou would think if he heard you giving out death threats, Lord von Bielefeld. He probably wouldn't be too happy about it," Saralegui responded.

"Stay away from him."

"Why should I? He has opened his doors to me after everything I've done, why shouldn't I take advantage of that?"

"I don't trust you, not one bit."

"Who cares? The Maou does, and his opinion is the only that matters here 'pretty boy'. Besides, I like him. I think he would make a wonderful husband."

Wolfram was livid. The idea that Saralegui would even attempt to sway Yuuri his way made him see red. "He's my fiancé, so don't even try it!"

"Fiancé. Just fiancé. He's not your husband yet, and that makes him fair game as far as I'm concerned."

"If you come on to him I swear-"

"What's so wrong, Lord von Bielefeld? Can't stand the idea of competition? If your beloved Maou loves you in return, there shouldn't be a problem here – he'll just ignore my advances. Or, could it be that you wish I was pursuing you instead?" Saralegui said in a teasing, seductive voice.

Wolfram, who was seething with blind rage over the idea of Yuuri and Saralegui together, was seconds away from sending Saralegui's pretty hair up in flames. However, a sinister idea came quickly into his mind – one that was more of a _Shinou_ thing to do, as opposed to a _Wolfram_ one.

Wolfram let the anger that showed on his face fade away, and gave Saralegui the most predatory look that he could muster up. He removed his hands from his shoulders, and placed both of them up against the wall on each side of Saralegui's head.

He watched in amusement as Saralegui's normally smug face turned into one of confusion, and decided to press his body closer to his. "Maybe that's exactly what I want, Your Majesty," he said in a husky voice. He pointedly looked at Saralegui's lips through half-lidded eyes, hoping that it would imply that he was thinking about kissing them.

The normally composed Saralegui shrank as far against the wall as he possibly could. "Wha... what do you think you're doing?"

"I've decided to drop the pretense of warning you away from the Maou, and have decided to be a little more open with my desire for you," Wolfram said in his sexiest voice. He took one of his hands off the wall, and entangled his fingers in Saralegui's hair. "So, how about you forget about that wimp and take on a real man like me?"

"You... get away from me before I scream! This joke isn't funny at all, you understand?" Saralegui hissed.

Seeing the normally cool Saralegui so flustered due to his seduction tease turned Wolfram on for real, and while he was slightly embarrassed by his state, he couldn't help but to use it to further his cause. He pressed his crotch against Saralegui's. "Does it _feel_ like I'm joking to you?"

Saralegui opened his mouth to scream for Beries, but he muffled the scream with a kiss. Saralegui did his best to push him away, but Wolfram's lithe frame betrayed just how strong he truly was.

Wolfram deepened the kiss for the hell of it, and was surprised when Saralegui stopped fighting him and started to respond to his assault. He was even more shocked to find that he liked the feel of Saralegui's body against his, as well as the his lips against his own. For several moments, the two made out against the wall, completely lost in their act and unaware of their surroundings.

"What is going on here!" a voice cried out.

Both men pulled away from each other quickly, and noticed that they had an audience of onlookers. Yuuri, Gwendal, Yozak, Beries, and others stared at the two men with various looks of shock, anger, amusement, jealousy and confusion.

Neither of the two could quickly come up with an explanation. Saralegui was simply speechless from both Wolfram's actions and being caught in the act – while Wolfram was trying to figure out how to explain to Yuuri and the others why it looked like he was ten seconds away from _doing things up against the wall_ with the king of Small Shimaron.

"Just what were you doing to my little brother?" Gwendal asked, breaking the silence. The look of sheer fury on his face made more than a few people step backwards.

Saralegui snapped out of his daze. "Doing to him? Doing to him? He was doing it to me!" he shrieked, indignant at the accusation. "Did you not see how he had me against that wall?"

"What did you do to him to _make_ him do that to you?" Gwendal gritted out, his eyes narrowed.

"I didn't do anything at all! I didn't want this at all!"

"That's interesting, because it sure looked like you weren't being forced at all. You seemed to be enjoying it as much as he was," Yozak said. He pointed towards Saralegui's crotch, where his arousal was obvious.

Saralegui blushed in embarrassment and anger as he rearranged his clothing, and turned to point towards Wolfram. "Tell them! Tell them what was happening here!"

Wolfram, who had been stunned silent throughout the entire exchange, felt guilty as he watched the infuriated and embarrassed Saralegui wait for his reply. A part of him actually wanted to speak up and defend the other man while the other part wanted to take advantage of the situation and make him look bad.

He remembered how Saralegui had taunted him about Yuuri, how he had implied that he planned to put the moves on his fiancé, and the smug look on his face when Wolfram got angry at his words.

The guilty side of him lost.

Wolfram blinked his eyes and shook his head, and put on his most confused face. "How did I get outside? And where did all of you people come from?" he asked, incredulously. "Is this a dream?"

Saralegui's mouth dropped open at Wolfram's act. He simply couldn't believe that Wolfram had gotten him into such trouble and then pretended not to remember what he was doing to him.

"Saralegui, you promised me that you wouldn't manipulate my friends again," Yuuri said. "Please, stop."

"I didn't manipulate him! I had nothing to do with this! He was the one that pulled me aside. He was the one who assaulted me. He was the one who kissed me!" Saralegui, his suave composure long forgotten, shouted.

"Wolfram would never do that sort of thing on his own will," Yuuri said, simply.

Saralegui was once again speechless, and saw no way to further explain the situation in a way that didn't make him look even more guilty. He knew he had been bested by Wolfram von Bielefeld, and that his reputation made Wolfram look completely innocent.

With his dignity in shreds, he saw no better choice than to exit the situation immediately. "Fine. Believe what you want to believe. Lord von Bielefeld and I know what really happened here, and that's all that counts, for now. Beries! Let's go, now!"

Wolfram didn't miss the angry glare that Saralegui shot him before stalking off, Beries close behind him. He had to restrain himself from smirking at the indignant man, and on the inside he was gleeful at his small victory over his self-appointed rival. He was certain that Saralegui would not let things end at that – especially after Wolfram had made him out to look like the villain. Regardless of the sneaky tactics that he anticipated Saralegui would pull, he looked forward to going up against him again.

In more ways than one.


	2. Saralegui's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saralegui gets his revenge on Wolfram for the prior incident in a way that changes Wolfram's life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 02: Saralegui's Revenge

Saralegui's normally calm composure was long shot down, and he was so angry he couldn't see straight.

He simply couldn't believe how that Bielefeld brat had gotten the better of him. Him, of all people! He was the one that was supposed to be doing the getting, if anyone. The situation between the two should have been reversed – with him getting Wolfram von Bielefeld in trouble with his beloved Maou instead of being the one totally humiliated and villainized.

And how humiliated he was! Caught making out with the Maou's fiancé. By the Maou and said fiancé's scary brother. And, he still couldn't believe that he had let Wolfram temporarily seduce him enough that he would even be in such a situation.

He brought his fingertips to his lips, and remembered how the Bielefeld brat had looked at him with those seductive green eyes before claiming his lips. He remembered how soft those lips were even though the kiss itself was hard. His body tingled in the places where Wolfram hand lightly caressed him.

He reeled over how it had all been an act.

Who knew that the Bielefeld brat could be so sneaky? That, when threatened, could easily match wits with someone who was a master of deceptive tactics and backstabbing. Saralegui, even through his anger, had to hand it to Wolfram; it was a gloriously evil move. One that he would store away and modify for his own use in the future.

However, admiration for his rival's power play aside, he simply couldn't let him get away with showing him up and humiliating him in front of so many people.

Saralegui had just the plan to show Wolfram how it was done.

* * *

Wolfram von Bielefeld was completely bored. Another party, and another horde of women (and men) showing up and doing their best to gain the interest of the Maou.

His Maou.

Or so he wished.

Wolfram looked over to his fiancé, who was eating up the attention of the overdressed ladies in the ball. He knew he could go over and end it all by either pulling Yuuri away by his ear, or simply glaring at the women until they got the message to step off.

However, he simply didn't feel like it, for some reason.

Wolfram turned to walked away from the festivities, and came face to face with King Saralegui.

"Well, look who it is. Lord von Bielefeld. How nice it is to see you," Saralegui said, sweetly.

Wolfram internally sighed. He had a feeling that his exchange with Saralegui wouldn't be a simple 'hey' and 'bye'. "Why, hello to you. Fancy meeting you here," he replied, equally sweetly.

He watched Saralegui look over his shoulder in Yuuri's direction, and tensed up. He knew very well that his rival hadn't forgotten their previous encounter, and Wolfram fully expecting him to pull something.

"Judging by how many women surrounds your beloved Maou, and that look of annoyance you had on your face when I first saw you, I take it things haven't progressed between you and he?" Saralegui said, his voice completely absent of malice.

Wolfram felt himself getting angry, but refused to show it on the outside. "Well, love doesn't happen overnight," he said, politely. He had a feeling that Saralegui would attempt to make him lose his cool, and he refused to play into his hands.

"You're right. Sometimes it takes weeks, months, or even years, as is in your case."

Wolfram internally seethed, but remained silent.

"How many years have you been engaged to the Maou? Three? That's a long time of loving someone who obviously doesn't feel the same for you."

Wolfram felt himself starting to crack, but continued to hold it in. "Well, I didn't always love him. It took me some time to even like him, even when I showed otherwise. And I'm certain he has feelings for me as well, even if he does try to deny them so hard. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling too well."

It wasn't an excuse. Wolfram really was starting to feel physically ill – and he couldn't keep his thoughts straight. He chalked it up to the stress of having to deal with Saralegui's inflammatory remarks.

He nodded as he brushed past Saralegui, who raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want me to inform your beloved Maou that you aren't feeling well? Surely he can pull himself away from those lovely women he's so entranced with to check on his unwell fiancé."

Wolfram paused in his steps. He did everything in his power not to visibly shake with the anger he was feeling.

He straightened his face, and turned back towards Saralegui. "That won't be necessary. I'm pretty sure I'll feel better once I get some fresh air."

He was about to turn away, but Saralegui's next words struck the nerve that hurt him the most.

"It's a pity, Lord von Bielefeld, that you are not a woman. Your beloved Maou would be all over you if you were, the same way he's all over those ladies. Sad that he won't ever love you simply because of what is in your pants, and what is not on your chest. Your epic love comes down to something as simple, and unchanging, as that."

The fallout that happened after that would be talked about for years to come.

Before Wolfram knew what he was doing, he had grabbed Saralegui by the neck and was choking the life out of him. Several people screamed, and strong arms came around Wolfram's waist in an attempt to pull him off of Saralegui.

"Wolfram, what are you doing!" Yuuri exclaimed as Conrart finally managed to pry his hands from around Saralegui's neck.

"Get off of me!" Wolfram bellowed, enraged. "I'll make him pay for his words."

"I don't know what he said to you, but this is unacceptable behavior!" Gwendal scolded.

Yuuri, who had caught Saralegui when he fell back, was livid. "Why do you always have to be so violent, Wolfram? It was completely unnecessary for you to do this, no matter what he said! I'm sick of you acting like this."

Yuuri's words came at the worst time. Wolfram was so angry that he was beyond reasonable conversation. "Sick of me? Sick of me acting this way? Well I'm sick of how you act, too! I'm sick of you blatantly disrespecting our engagement. I'm sick of you flaunting your hussies–" he flailed his hand around in the direction of the ladies that had been surrounding the Maou earlier, whom gasped and indignantly clutched their pearls at his remark "–in front of my face when you're supposed to be engaged to me! But most of all, I'm sick of loving someone who can't see past the fact that I have a dick!"

Everyone in the room was stunned silent at his words. Wolfram took advantage of Conrart's momentary shock and pushed the man off of him. He stomped over to Yuuri and Saralegui, who was still coughing and trying to catch his breath.

Yuuri put himself between Wolfram and Saralegui, which prompted him to laugh. "Don't worry, Yuuri. I'm done with him, for now," he said, his voice eerily amused. "And I'm done with you too."

Before Yuuri could say anything, Wolfram ended his engagement to the 27th Maou with a punch to the face.

* * *

As Saralegui watched as the others fawned over the knocked-out Maou, he cheered himself on mentally. His plan had worked far better than he thought it would. He had intended to get the Bielefeld brat so riled up that he would attack him and anger the Maou, but getting Wolfram so mad that he ended his engagement? That was a plus.

It was so worth the bruises that were already swelling on his neck.

"Come, Beries," he rasped out. He discreetly put the cap on the small bottle of pheromones that had enticed Wolfram into flipping out. "Our work here is done."


	3. Passive-Aggressiveness, in Letter Format

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after the fiasco Saralegui and Wolfram caused at the Ball, they start to correspond by letter – as only they know how to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 03: Passive-Aggressiveness, in Letter Format

_   
**Month 2; Day 10; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_To His Majesty Saralegui of Small Shimaron,_

_I, Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld, sincerely send my apologies for my vagrant behavior directed towards you during our last meeting. I have dishonored my country, my King, my people, and myself with my violent and unnecessary actions. I do not know what came over me, it was as if I was out of my mind. I, to this day, question why I caused such harm to the Maou – and, of course, you. Please don't take that as me adding you as an afterthought in an implication that you are insignificant somehow, though._

_Irregardless of the truth behind my rage, I must own up to my mistakes, and I hope that you can accept my humble apologies for my wrongs against you._

_Also, please accept the fruit basket I'm also sending you as a token of my good will. I hand-picked it myself. It is filled with yellow fruits, especially Bananas, because – for some reason – they oddly remind me of you._

_Sincerely,_

_Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld_

* * *

_   
**Month 2; Day 25; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_Lord von Bielefeld,_

_I accept your apologies. I also wonder what could have possibly come over you to both attack me and end your precious engagement to the Maou. Whatever it was, it was powerful. I am saddened at the rumors that I may have used some outside influence on you – but because of my reputation, it is expected. I wish that I could also be forgiven for my past wrongs._

_I sincerely hope that you have mended the relationship with your beloved Maou. I also hope that the rumors I keep hearing about you still not relenting on your rejection of his proposal are not true – for your sake. Even though I fear that your love may very well be pointless, you seemed happiest when engaged to him – and I sincerely wouldn't want to take that little consolidation from you._

_As for the fruit basket, due to the many assassination attempts on my life via food poisoning, I sadly could not enjoy any of it. Not to imply that you would attempt anything like that, of course._

_Regards,_

_King Saralegui of Small Shimaron_

* * *

_   
**Month 3; Day 4; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_King Saralegui,_

_I am satisfied that you have found my apology to be acceptable to you, and once again, I apologize for my actions that night._

_I also wish that you may one day be forgiven for the crimes that you are* committing. Every one deserves forgiveness, even people who are* like you.*_

_As for those rumors, I'm afraid that they are true. I have chosen not to reinstate my engagement even though His Majesty has begged me to do so. Imagine that, him begging me for something, for once. He looked so very pitiful, his eyes tear-filled. His plea broke my heart – it was almost as if he actually has feelings for me after all._

_As badly as I want to accept him back, I have found that it is probably better this way. This way he can be free to find a woman he loves, and I can also find someone that loves me. In a way, your harsh words have helped me. You see, I now realize that I love him enough to give him up – so if you actually do want to try and pursue him, as you intended to at one time, feel free to try._

_Unfortunately, His Majesty seems to have trouble accepting those with the same gender as he. However, since you are as feminine and beautiful as any girl, he may be more willing to accept you. If only my gender were as ambiguous as yours, maybe I would have stood a better chance. It's simply a shame I was much too manly for him – sometimes I wish I could be as luckily emasculate as yourself._

_Either way, I wish you luck on gaining forgiveness as well as romance! And, I'm sorry about the fruit – I momentarily forgot that the method of sending tainted foods was historically the most popular way of poisoning royalty (and I'm glad you recognize that it wasn't my intentions, because I truly did intend something completely different)._

_I am sending you another gift to make up for that one. It's a bouquet of flowers that are mostly found in the Karbelnikoff territories. It's interesting because it's a very unusual flower – and has a very potent scent. Rumor has it that you are quite fond of this flower – and if something as simple as a flower that you enjoy will please you, I'm more than happy to send it – for your absolute enjoyment._

_Yours Truly,_

_Wolfram von Bielefeld_

_P.S. - Apologies for the two errors in my second paragraph, the 'are' words that I notated with asterisks should both be 'were' instead. The asterisk after 'you' actually points out an erroneously-shortened sentence that should have ended with 'once was' after 'you'. I don't know what I was thinking. I also apologize for sending this letter – errors and all. I ran out of parchment (since I kept making the very same errors for some reason) – plus I wanted to send your flowers as soon as possible. Again, sorry for the lack of perfection._

* * *

_   
**Month 3; Day 16; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_Lord von Bielefeld,_

_I am simply delighted that you have grown up enough to recognize that the Maou will never accept you in your current form. I am also happy to hear that he was merciful on you, and even pitied you enough to cry for you._

_I am appeased that my truthful words have enticed you into moving on with your life. May you also find the romance that you seem to so desperately need to be happy. I also suggest that you not be as possessive of your future lover as you were of the Maou. Men tend to not like that, even ones that are assumed to be delicate like myself. I wouldn't stand for a nagging mate with a bad temper – but it seems as if you have grown out of the childish, bratty behavior that you are so very famous for throughout these lands. At least, that's what the letters you have been sending me seem to indicate._

_Speaking of sending me things, I am not sure who told you that the flowers you sent me were those that I am fond of. In fact, I am highly allergic to said flowers – and they caused me to break out in a rare case of very severe hives as well as affected my breathing. Though my breathing is back to normal, my delicate skin is still affected. I was certain that it was a widely-known fact that I am severely allergic to that particular flower, but apparently things got twisted by the time that news reached your ears. You know how people can be, though. They tend to hear what they want to hear._

_Yours respectfully,_

_King Saralegui of Small Shimaron_

_P.S. - It is interesting that you made and corrected those particular errors on your last letter, but failed to correct some of your other grammar. You also tend to overuse dashes in your writing. Don't be afraid to start new sentences when necessary as opposed to adding a plethora of dashes (and commas) everywhere. I am well-aware that children of royalty (such as myself) tend to slack off of their studies, but I never would have thought that the son of a Maou would make such glaring errors. I guess we all have flaws though, some more than others._

* * *

_   
**Month 3; Day 28; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_To King Saralegui,_

_I am grateful that you seem to fully support my journey for love (which isn't all that dissimilar from my mother's). I am happy to inform you that I actually have a certain someone in consideration. Once again, I am appreciative of your words, and I will tread most carefully when pursuing my new love interest. I have indeed changed, and can't wait to show people what the new Wolfram von Bielefeld is made of. You are my inspiration! If you can change, surely someone like I can as well._

_Speaking of changes, I apologize for my grammatical errors. I, indeed, slacked off of my studies when coming up. However, unlike some children of royalty, I was busy training and doing other things to build myself into the man I am today. However, you are still lucky. I'm sure that if you had to train as hard as I did, you would have turned out less feminine and graceful as you are now – and that would have been such a shame._

_However, it's funny that you corrected my grammar in such a way – where I come from, it is said that's a sign of someone losing an argument. Since you didn't do so with any ill-intentions (and, of course, we aren't arguing), I suppose you don't have to worry about that saying being applicable to you._

_I am sincerely, truly, and completely sorry that my last gift caused you so much trouble! It hurts me to my heart that your beautiful skin is probably red, puffy, and oozing pus all over the place. I was certain that I heard that particular flower was a favorite of yours. I wonder just who it was that twisted that crucial information along the way? Sadly, it was probably someone who has contempt for you._

_This time, the gift that I'm sending isn't quite from me. I informed our resident scientific genius about your current health condition due to my fatal mistake, and she whipped up a concoction that should immediately alleviate those conditions. Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience and marring of your beauty._

_With love,_

_Wolfram von Bielefeld_

_P.S – I forgot to mention that the concoction was sent a few days earlier than this letter, and sent directly to your nurse. So, by the time you read this letter, she will have already received it and applied it to you. Now now, I'm sorry – but I couldn't trust that you'd personally use it. You would probably continue to suffer silently in a noble attempt at being a man about it (and there's nothing wrong at all with not being manly – just ask Yozak). At least this way, you'll gain some relief._

_P.P.S. – There is a Royal Ball coming up, and I have enclosed your invitation. That concoction should have you healed and looking better than ever by the time the next dance rolls around!_

* * *

_   
**Month 4; Day 9; Year 4 of the 27th Maou**   
_

_Lord von Bielefeld,_

_I have already accepted your apologies for the choking incident. Please do not feel that you must keep sending me gifts and/or health remedies in an attempt to please me. In fact, I would be most pleased if you never sent me another gift. Ever._

_I also must unfortunately inform you that I may not make it to the Ball. At least, not if that "remedy" you sent me doesn't wear off by then. Somehow, I doubt walking in there with bluish skin with yellow polka-dots would be proper of a man of my status and prestige._

_Regrettably,_

_King Saralegui of Small Shimaron_


	4. The New Wolfram von Bielefeld?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolfram confounds people with his new behavior following the ending of his engagement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **First part takes place during the letter writing of the previous chapter. **

For the next few weeks after he ended his engagement, the people of Blood Pledge Castle walked on eggshells, scared that the newly single Wolfram von Bielefeld would go on the warpath.

When their fears were not realized, they became even more frightened due to what was really happening instead.

Wolfram was Sunshine. He was Happiness. He was everything Good, Heartwarming, and Loving.

In other words, he was everything that wasn't _Wolfram_.

When they observed him laughing with some of his troops, they were surprised. When he hugged Conrart out of the blue, they were shocked. When he playfully flirted with Yozak, of all people, they were alarmed.

However, when he volunteered to take Gwendal's place in one of Anissina's experiments so that his big brother could get some rest, they held a secret meeting and decided to go to the shrine to ask if Shinou had anything to do with it.

Shinou, who had been amused by Wolfram's antics ever since he observed the exchange between him and Saralegui against the wall, truthfully assured them that he had nothing to do with it. When they asked if he knew what was going on, he told them simply to not worry about it.

He simply couldn't bring himself to spoil the fun he was having watching his descendant go at it with the king of Small Shimaron.

He was too proud of Wolfram's actions thus far, and couldn't wait to see what came next.

* * *

Three months after the choking incident, Saralegui found himself at another ball – this time at Blood Pledge Castle.

Much as Wolfram had done months prior, he was watching the Maou being circled by beautiful women, waiting to pounce.

Only, unlike Wolfram, he was more amused than anything.

He had given up on the idea that he could truly seduce the Maou after the last exchange between him and Wolfram. When he had used that particular play, he knew that he would indeed be branded an even bigger troublemaker – and rightfully so. The play had been executed brilliantly, and he didn't regret one bit of it. Besides, he figured that he had no chance anyhow since the Maou seemed so hung up on gender.

Saralegui glanced around the room in search of the Bielefeld brat. He wanted to see him, just to see what Wolfram's reaction would be at his presence. He was well-aware that the "remedy" that he had sent him was a pathetic attempt to keep him from attending this Ball – possibly so that he wouldn't attempt to actually follow through on Wolfram's suggestions that he try to romance the Maou.

He fumed upon remembering how Wolfram had implied that he was just like a girl.

So he didn't have a lot of muscle. And, maybe his face was softer – his frame more delicate – than a lot of men. But he was still a man. Undeniably so. He was even more affronted because it was a man that was also beautiful that had managed to insult him like that! As if he was that much manlier.

Saralegui then remembered how solid Wolfram had felt up against him – how strong he was even though he didn't look it. He remembered how he could feel how defined the body up against him had truly been, and wondered just what Wolfram would look like underneath those clothing.

He visibly shook his head, as if it would clear his mind of those particular thoughts. He glanced around, and noted that the Bielefeld brat was still missing. He had been looking forward to coming across Wolfram, just to see if his face would contort in fury at his presence.

Saralegui also wanted to gloat – and perhaps cause another scene.

* * *

An hour into the ball, and Wolfram had yet to show up. Saralegui thought that perhaps he was too embarrassed to show up, or too angry. He may have even been banned from showing up. Saralegui amused himself with the possible reasons why the Bielefeld brat hadn't shown yet.

A few gasps and sudden loud chatter sounded out behind him, and he turned to see what the commotion was all about.

Saralegui's heart stopped in his chest when he saw who the newcomer was.

It was Wolfram von Bielefeld.

It was a _smiling_ Wolfram von Bielefeld.

It was a _gorgeous_ Wolfram von Bielefeld.

Everything that Saralegui had planned to do once coming across the Bielefeld brat was temporarily forgotten. He had never seen Wolfram look so positively dazzling. The memories of his kisses and touches fled back into his mind, and he felt lightheaded.

He was still staring when Wolfram spotted him. Saralegui swallowed hard, and remembered what he wanted to do. He smirked at Wolfram, fully expecting him to frown or get upset.

Not only did the Bielefeld brat not respond in the way he imagined, he smiled at him and came toward him.

"King Saralegui! It is my pleasure to come across you today! I am satisfied that your ailment has come to an end, and that you were able to attend after all. As I explained in my letters, I am truly ashamed of my actions the last time we met in person. I sincerely hope you can forgive my disrespectful display," Wolfram said, and humbly bowed.

Saralegui was stunned, but quickly recovered. "As I said in my response letters, apologies accepted, Lord von Bielefeld. I know I can sometimes push people a little too hard," he said.

"Again, I'm sorry. If there is something I can do to make it all up to you, do not hesitate to ask it of me," Wolfram said, his voice sincere.

Saralegui wondered what sort of tactic that Wolfram was planning to use, and decided to attempt to push his buttons a little more.

"Well, you could dance with me," he said, seductively. He was waiting to see some sort of discomfort on his face, but it never came.

"My pleasure," Wolfram said, and took his hand.

* * *

More than a few people gasped when Wolfram led King Saralegui to the dance floor. After the fireworks between them four months ago, everyone had worried that when the two came across each other, things would explode all over again. No one expected them to be civil with each other, and especially not to dance with each other.

Gwendal and Conrart, whom were already on edge due to their brother's recent behavior, were instantly alarmed. They kept the two men in sight, ready to pull them apart before someone got hurt.

Yuuri's attention was diverted from his fangirls to the two men that were dancing together. Like others, he had been worried about what would happen the next time Wolfram came across Saralegui. Nothing, however, seemed to be happening.

He was worried about Wolfram. Ever since he woke up after the last ball and found himself un-engaged, he had been concerned about his actions. Since that night, Wolfram had treated him like most of his subjects treated him, calling him "Your Majesty" instead of by his name and avoiding him unless it was absolutely necessary – and it bothered him.

He missed Wolfram. He missed the way he used to act – even his childish temper tantrums.

He even missed him in his bed.

He kept an apprehensive eye on the two dancing men, ignoring the mindless chatter surrounding him as well as another feeling that he refused to acknowledge.

* * *

Wolfram and Saralegui danced through several numbers while managing to not kill each other.

Saralegui was still suspicious, however – and said everything he could think of to wind Wolfram up.

"Hmm, the Maou seems to be enjoying his company of ladies tonight," he said.

"It's just like him," Wolfram responded, his voice unchanging.

"I wonder if he'll dance with me after I finish dancing with you?"

"It can't hurt to try," he said, gently.

"I'll do that after we're done."

"Good luck."

No matter what Saralegui said, Wolfram just smiled at him brightly, and showed no other emotion.

Suddenly, Wolfram halted in his tracks. "Oh, there he is! I thought he wouldn't come," he said, his voice sounding quite happy.

"Who's that?" Saralegui asked, and turned to look behind him.

"Oh, he's just a friend of mine," Wolfram said, and motioned towards a tall, blue-eyed man with long brown hair.

"I... see," Saralegui said, continuing to look at the stunning man. "He seems familiar, but I can't place him."

Wolfram moved in front of Saralegui, and brought his former dance partner's hand to his lips.

"Thank you for the dance, Your Majesty. I surely appreciate it," he said, and gently kissed his hand.

Saralegui, who was beyond creeped out and paranoid at that point, just nodded.

Wolfram smiled at him once more, before turning and walking off.

Saralegui watched Wolfram retreat, and wondered if that was _it_ for the night. Surely, he had something else planned?

Or maybe Saralegui wished he had something else planned.

He watched as Wolfram walked up to the tall newcomer, and said something. The man laughed, and Wolfram practically beamed up at him.

Saralegui was bothered by how happy he seemed, and wondered if this was the new "love interest" that Wolfram had mentioned in his letter.

As he watched the two chat for a bit longer, a pleasantly evil idea came to his mind. He still hadn't forgiven the Bielefeld brat for the Polka-Dot incident, and he thought that it would be nice to gain a little revenge.

He made his way over to the two men.


	5. I Bow Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone concedes defeat in the ongoing battle between Wolfram and Saralegui?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 05: I Bow Out

"So, Lord von Bielefeld, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Saralegui asked.

Wolfram, who was holding an animated conversation with the newcomer, paused in his conversation.

"Oh my, what bad manners of me! This is Kelby Loring. Kelby, this is King Saralegui of Small Shimaron," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty," Kelby said politely, and bowed.

"Likewise," Saralegui said.

"Kelby, would you like to dance?" Wolfram asked suddenly.

Saralegui noticed that he seemed nervous, and wondered if he was intimidated by his presence.

"Sure," Kelby replied, and took Wolfram by the hand.

"Save a dance for me, Kelby Loring," the King said, his voice low and seductive.

"Of course," Kelby said, and grinned.

Saralegui watched as the two started to dance, his mind formulating just what he wanted to say next.

* * *

As Wolfram started to dance with the newcomer, everyone started to whisper about how they made a handsome-looking couple. Several people inquired about the new man, and though people thought he was familiar, no one could actually place him.

Yuuri heard this chatter, and looked over to where Wolfram was dancing with his new partner. He stared at the man, and thought that he seemed vaguely familiar – but try as he might, he couldn't figure it out. He watched them, continuing to rack his brain for the answer.

Conrart, who was busy dancing playfully with Greta, only caught a momentary glimpse of the man from behind – and quickly dismissed him as some noble he was unfamiliar with. Gwendal, however, gritted his teeth as he glared at the familiar-looking man, who was holding his brother entirely too close for his comfort.

He tossed back his drink, and scowled at every person he caught undressing his little brother with their eyes. He mentally vowed to hunt down and make miserable the one who dared to tailor Wolfram's pants so tight that nothing was left to the imagination.

* * *

Saralegui, who had carefully constructed what he was going to say to the Loring man, walked over to where the two were dancing.

"May I cut in?" he asked, politely.

Once again, he waited for a reaction from Wolfram, but he simply smiled.

"Most certainly! He did promise you, after all," Wolfram said, and let go of his dance partner. "After you finish dancing with His Majesty, I would like to dance with you again, Kelby."

"I would like that too, Wolfram," Kelby said gently, and smiled down at Wolfram.

Saralegui wanted to gag at how Wolfram practically melted right there. So the Bielefeld brat really had a thing for this Loring fellow? Saralegui would make sure any potential relationship between the two ended before it started.

Kelby took Saralegui's hand, and they started to dance. Saralegui look up into his pleasant face, and put his plan into gear.

"You seem familiar to me, you know that?" he started, making small talk in order to get Kelby comfortable with him.

"I'm often at these celebrations, but I usually stand in the background," Kelby said.

"So, how did you meet Lord von Bielefeld?" Saralegui asked.

"I was visiting a friend of mine in town, and I ran into him during an event there. I had seen him plenty of times before, but that was the first time we had ever struck up a conversation."

"I see... and when was this?"

"About two months ago."

"Are you romantically involved with Lord von Bielefeld?"

"No... well, not yet," Kelby said, and Saralegui noticed his blush.

"So, you are interested in him?"

"Ye.. yes."

"Might I ask, what drew you to him?"

"Well... he's kind. Considerate. Fun. Beautiful. An all around joy to be with."

Saralegui threw back his head and laughed heartily at the _absolutely wrong_ description of the Bielefeld brat.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just... are you aware that Lord von Bielefeld is known for his temper? That he is one of the most selfish, annoying, and bratty men I've ever met?"

Kelby frowned. "I've never seen that side of him. He's never been that way with me."

"I see. So Lord von Bielefeld has 'changed' after all," Saralegui said, totally unconvinced.

"If he were that way before, perhaps he has."

Saralegui finally realized the reason why Wolfram had been so charming earlier. Wolfram had apparently decided to put on a front in order to reel in Kelby, per his recommendation in one of the letters he sent. Saralegui was amused at how naive the Loring fellow seemed. He saw that pointing out the Bielefeld brat's flaws wouldn't work with this man, and decided to resort to something a little more _dirty_.

"You must be a very tolerant man," Saralegui said, making sure his voice held a touch of admiration in it.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well... I can't think of too many men who would want to date someone who had been the Maou's bedmate for several years."

Kelby looked shocked. "Bed... mate?"

Saralegui laughed, lightly. "What, you didn't know? Lord von Bielefeld shared a bed with the Maou for over three years."

"I was aware he was engaged to him... but shared a bed?"

"Yes."

"I see..."

Saralegui was most excited at how bothered the other man looked by the thought. He decided to rub it in a little more. "Though, that relationship was before you. What does it matter that Lord von Bielefeld was once the Maou's nighttime playmate? At least you know he's experienced... though I personally wouldn't want to be the one who _came_ after the Maou."

Saralegui gleefully noted that Kelby went pale, but winced when he gripped him a little harder than normal. He watched as Kelby tried to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry. I suddenly don't feel so well. Please, excuse me," Kelby said as he released him, and turned away.

Saralegui followed as he practically sprinted toward the closest door and out into the deserted hall, but was halted by Wolfram.

"Kelby, where are you going? I thought I'd get another dance out of you," Wolfram said, and smiled gently.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Kelby said, and practically shrank away from Wolfram.

"Kelby, what's wrong?" Wolfram asked, his face showing concern. He reached out for him.

"Don't! Just... don't. Don't touch me," he said, quietly.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Wolfram, I think it's best that we not have anything to do with each other anymore."

"Why?"

"Because, you aren't the type of man I should align myself with. Good night."

Saralegui, who had listened in on the entire exchange, was filled with delight by Wolfram's crestfallen face as the Loring fellow brushed past him. He walked up to Wolfram, and smirked at him.

"Well... that didn't go too well, did it?" he said, not bothering to mask the amusement in his voice.

Wolfram looked long and hard at Saralegui. "Did you do something to him?" he asked, quietly.

Saralegui was glad that he finally dropped the happy facade that he had put on all night long. He wanted to see if he could enrage the Bielefeld brat, this time without the pheromones.

"I didn't do anything to him, though I did say a few things," he said, slyly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing much. I just mentioned that I personally wouldn't want to be the one to date you after you've been the Maou's lover for the past three years."

"Lover? The Maou and I never engaged in those sorts of relations."

"Whoops! I guess I gave that Loring fellow all sorts of wrong ideas, then! Perhaps you should run after him and try to convince him that you are fresher than he thinks."

Saralegui waited to see if the fireworks would come. He saw how Wolfram clenched his fists and closed his eyes, probably willing himself not to attack. He stayed that way for a few moments.

Finally, Wolfram's shoulders slumped. "You win," he mumbled.

Saralegui blinked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said you win. I bow out. You. Win."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You. Win. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I ever engaged you into this game in the first place. You. Win."

Saralegui couldn't believe his ears. Was the Bielefeld brat actually conceding defeat?

"It was stupid of me to think that I could ever win against you. I should have never let my jealousy make me start this game with you. Now, I have nothing. No engagement. My reputation's shot. And now, just when I thought that I could finally have happiness and love with someone who actually liked me..."

Wolfram didn't finish, he simply closed his eyes and leaned against the closest wall in defeat.

Saralegui, who was at a loss for words, simply stared at the broken man in front of him.

After a few more moments of staring, he remembered just who he was, and cleared his throat.

"Well... I'm glad you recognize who's the superior one here," he said, his voice once again taunting.

"Yeah."

"And I take it that you will no longer bother me with your sad attempts at being petty again, will you?"

"No."

"Very well, I suppose I no longer have any need to go out of my way and destroy you. Good night, Lord von Bielefeld."

"Good night, Your Majesty."

King Saralegui turned away from the Bielefeld brat, but not before noticing the unshed tears in his sad eyes.

He made his way back into the ballroom, and pretended that his last glance at Wolfram's face didn't bother him as much as it did.

* * *

Wolfram, not bothering to go back into the ballroom, went to his bedroom.

He entered it, and was unsurprised to see it was already occupied by the man that had run off "appalled" at Saralegui's words, earlier.

"So, how did I do, Wolfram?" the man known to Saralegui as Kelby Loring said.

Wolfram smiled at the man. "You were excellent, as always. Thanks for your help."

"Any time, kid. I simply can't wait to see what you do next to that rotten king. I damn near decked him on the dance floor for his disgusting remarks. I'm curious though, what was the purpose of tonight's show?"

"I want him to let his guard down before swooping in with my endgame plan. So, I let him 'win' a round and proclaimed that I gave up."

"I see. Excellent strategy!"

"Now, I need you to do another thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Make sure you help me convince Gwendal and the others that things are settled enough between me and King Saralegui to let me go on that peacekeeping visit at his castle three months from now."

"Done," Yozak said.


	6. Maid to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The maids make wagers on who Wolfram will end up with, and Gwendal gets some news that bothers him. A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 06: Maid to Talk

A group of maids were lounging around outside while on break, drinking tea and chatting happily about all of the rumors surrounding the castle.

"Did you hear? Lord von Voltaire ran off yet another of Lord von Bielefeld's suitors!" Doria said, her voice excited.

"That's the third this week!" Sangria cackled.

"I'm still shocked about that last one, however. You would think that Lord von Voltaire would be alright with his own cousin pursuing Lord von Bielefeld, at the very least," Lasagna said.

"Agreed. I thought he'd have the highest chance out of all of them that have come these past few months."

"I suppose that Lord von Voltaire is holding out for the one that seems to have truly captivated Lord von Bielefeld's heart," the newest maid, Hedda, said.

"Ah, I still can't believe it! I really thought Lord von Bielefeld hated him!" Sangria remarked, and the others nodded their agreement.

"I know I about died when I heard that he had been sending him gifts and letters!"

"Yes, that's so very unlike Lord von Bielefeld to do so. I mean, he never acted that way with the Maou!"

"I think the Maou was simply a crush for Lord von Bielefeld, and that his feelings for King Saralegui are the real thing," Hedda said, slyly.

"Well, after that incident where they were caught up against the wall, at least we know that King Saralegui actually desires Lord von Bielefeld."

"But I don't understand. What about the choking incident? That made it seem like Lord von Bielefeld hated him."

Hedda thought about it for a moment. "I think King Saralegui was jealous of Lord von Bielefeld's feelings for the Maou, and somehow caused him to end his engagement so that he could be with him."

"That's an excellent theory!"

"It's sad, though. Lord von Bielefeld is so very handsome."

"Yes, and his temper is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. But lately, he's been so off that I kind of miss the old him."

"Well, I think His Majesty's remarks at the ball after the choking incident is making him act that way."

"I say he still loves His Majesty."

"I doubt he does, I think he's moved on to King Saralegui."

"What about that guy he danced with at the last ball? Let's not forget him!"

Hedda looked at the other maids. "So, who do you think Lord von Bielefeld will end up with?"

"My money is on His Majesty Yuuri." Lasagna said. "I highly doubt Lord von Bielefeld has fallen out of love that quickly. Plus, the Maou is always staring out of his window when Lord von Bielefeld is in the courtyard practicing with Lord Weller or one of his troops."

"I'll put mine on King Saralegui," Sangria replied. "His Majesty Yuuri has shown that he has little interest in Lord von Bielefeld, while, on the other hand, King Saralegui is exchanging letters with him. He also looked quite entranced with him at the ball when I saw them dance. The chemistry between them was so explosive, I almost dropped the drinks I was serving!"

"I'm holding out for that mysterious man Lord von Bielefeld was dancing with at the last ball. I caught a glimpse of him when I brought in more snacks, and he was simply stunning! They were so nice-looking together, and the way Lord von Bielefeld managed to get lost in his gorgeous eyes!"

The three other maids looked at Hedda. "Well, what is your bet?"

"I'll bet on Yozak Gurrier."

"Yozak Gurrier?" the three others exclaimed.

"Yes. He and Lord von Bielefeld have been mighty close lately. I even saw Lord von Bielefeld pull him into his room the other night. "

"What?" the others asked, shocked.

"One wonders if they're having some sort of relationship that we don't know about," Hedda implied, studying her nails.

"Oh my... this is a new development.," Sangria said.

"Indeed."

"Let's do a double bet!"

"Fine, I'll put fifty on the Maou and twenty-five on King Saralegui," Lasagna said.

"I'll match, with the fifty on King Saralegui and the twenty-five on the Maou."

"My fifty on that mystery man, and twenty-five on Gurrier."

They looked at Hedda again. "And yours?"

"Fifty on Gurrier, twenty-five on the Great Sage."

"The Sage?"

"Lord von Bielefeld was holding _quite_ an animated conversation with him the other day, and his arm was draped over the Sage's shoulders the entire time, pulling him closer and closer."

The maids were silent once more.

"Triple bet, anyone?" Doria said.

As three of the maids worked out the details of the triple bet, the fourth mused over how she had managed to plant all of these seeds of deception into their nosy heads over the past month. She also knew that Günter could hear everything that was said at this particular spot from his office – and was aware that he was currently listening thanks to a sign her partner-in-crime sent. She wondered how long it would take before he ran off to tell Gwendal everything he had heard.

She also hadn't failed to notice Conrart lurking around the corner and taking in the conversation. She wondered if he had recognized her, yet.

Yozak's skills at makeup and disguises could fool some of the best eyes, but Conrart could also see through most of them, easily.

"Hedda, what's your triple bet?"

_She_ looked at them. "Seventy-five on Gurrier, fifty on the Sage, and twenty-five on Lord Weller."

"Lord Weller?" they exclaimed.

"Saw them hug, and then hold hands while walking back to the castle after practice yesterday," Hedda said, wondering just what Conrart's face looked like at that moment.

"How about a quad bet?" Sangria said.

_She_ sipped her tea as they argued the terms of the quad bet, and couldn't wait to add Günter's name to the mix for the sheer Hell of it. It had been tricky playing a dual role for the past month, but more than worth it.

Wolfram twirled a blue strand of hair around his fingers as he made his new bet. He simply loved playing this game.

* * *

"So... you are telling me that the maids are saying that my brother has been sending letters and gifts to King Saralegui?" Gwendal asked, unable to believe what an hysterical Günter had just told him.

"Not only that, but there's gossip that Wolfram has something going on with Yozak, the Sage, Lord Weller and _me_ of all people!" Günter complained, totally bothered by the implication that he and Wolfram were having a secret affair. And all because Wolfram accidentally stumbled into him and he had held his arm to steady him. He cursed those damned maids for taking every slight touch as a sign of romance!

"I don't think Wolfram has anything going on with the people that you listed, though I do worry about that perverted Sage and the way he ogles him sometimes. I'm more bothered by these claims that my brother has been sending letters and gifts to King Saralegui."

"They didn't elaborate on it, but something tells me that this is old news to them. I wonder how long it has been going on?" Günter questioned.

"I wonder if it's going on, period," Gwendal mumbled. "I can't take this anymore, between all these damned suitors suddenly showing up, and the way Wolfram has been acting, I'm going mad. If he has been sending such things to that King, I don't know what I'll do!"

"Calm down, Gwendal. I'm pretty sure there's a good reason for this."

"What good reason could there be for my brother to send gifts and letters to King Saralegui?"

The room was silent for quite some time as the two men stared at each other.

"Just as I thought. None. Now get me Gurrier!" Gwendal demanded, and Günter quickly obliged.

* * *

Three days later, a stunned Gwendal von Voltaire sat in his office, reeling over the information that Yozak had just given him.

"I can't believe it. So the gossip about Wolfram sending letters and gifts to King Saralegui is true?"

"Indeed it is. This letter he sent that I intercepted is the proof," Yozak said, cheerfully. He neglected to mention that the "proof" Gwendal held was a fabricated letter. Wolfram had wrote it and handed it to him, with no intentions to send it.

"I wonder if His Majesty knows about any of this."

"Oh, something tells me that he does," Yozak said, cryptically. He had made sure that the Maou had "stumbled upon" a few of Hedda's information plantings with the maids. He and Wolfram had a good laugh when he described the look of sheer horror on Yuuri's face when he heard Hedda proclaim that she thought that Greta might grow up and marry Wolfram.

He watched as Gwendal re-read it for the fifth time, still not managing to decipher Wolfram's reasons for writing it.

"Why? Why is he sending letters and gifts to King Saralegui? I thought he couldn't stand him?"

"Well, I heard they did dance together at the last ball, so one can hardly say he doesn't like him. I've even heard that he's been sending things to that King since right after that choking fiasco."

"I'll be..." Gwendal trailed off. "I don't even know what to do with this information. I don't even know how to take it, either."

"Quite frankly, if I may inject my opinion-"

"No. I don't want to hear any opinion you have on this. Ever."

"Fine, but I want to be present when you confront him."

"I'll need you to be. There's no telling what I might do to him when I find out the answer."


	7. Word Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolfram plays word games with Gwendal and the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 07: Word Games

The night that Yozak presented the "proof" of the letters, Gwendal called Wolfram down to his office where he, Conrart, Yozak, Günter and even Yuuri were waiting.

Gwendal had decided to play hardball, which was why he included the Maou and Conrart in on the meeting as well. He figured that whatever reason Wolfram had to do what he was doing, it couldn't be good – and that intervention might be necessary.

He waited, his face neutral, as his little brother entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"You wanted to see me, Gwendal?" Wolfram asked, politely.

"Yes, please. Sit down."

Wolfram sat, and looked patiently at his brother.

Gwendal cleared his throat, and started to speak. "It has been brought to my attention that you have been sending letters and gifts to King Saralegui." he said, his voice even.

"I was sending gifts. I'm just sending letters, now."

"Is there a reason why you're doing this?" Gwendal asked.

"Yes."

"Care to share?"

Wolfram sighed, and looked down and away from Gwendal. A light blush started to form on his cheeks. "Well..."

Gwendal was slightly bothered by the way his brother looked. "I was under the impression that you didn't like King Saralegui – as evidenced when you attacked him and humiliated yourself and the Maou several months ago."

"I didn't... then."

"What do you mean 'then'?"

"Meaning, things are fine between us now. If they weren't, I wouldn't have danced with him at the last ball," Wolfram said, his blush deepening.

"And that's the reason why you're sending him these things?"

"Yes."

"If things are simply fine between you now, surely a letter every now and then would do. You have been sending him letters frequently, according to my source," Gwendal gritted out, barely containing his impatience.

Wolfram knew that his "source" was Yozak, mainly. He mentally sent his thanks to him once again for helping him set all of this up, as well as being his lone confidant throughout it all.

After he had marched away after punching Yuuri out the night of that disastrous ball, he had been startled when he was pulled into a room by some blond nobleman that he had never seen before.

That nobleman had turned out to be Yozak, who admitted that he liked to attend those kinds of events disguised as a way to test his costumes. Yozak had also admitted that he had seen everything that happened, things that Wolfram himself hadn't seen. When he told Wolfram about the bottle he saw Saralegui put away, it had enraged him something fierce once he realized what it probably had contained.

Yozak had then offered to reveal himself and tell all to the others, but by then, the wheels of vengeance had been spinning in Wolfram's mind, and he told Yozak to keep it to himself.

Wolfram had been pleasantly surprised when Yozak had offered his help, and had happily taken him up on the matter after he came clean about the wall incident. From costuming, to acting lessons, to pointing out potential flaws in his plans, Yozak had become a highly beneficial ally. And, Wolfram was grateful to have such a person on his side.

"Wolfram! Are you listening to me?" Gwendal said loudly, interrupting Wolfram's thoughts. "I asked you why you won't send a letter every now and then instead of so often."

"Well, a letter every now and then would suffice if I were just sending them solely because things are settled. However, I send them frequently for another reason," Wolfram said.

"And that reason is?"

"Since I'm no longer engaged to the Maou, I've decided to romantically pursue King Saralegui."

Several people in the room gasped, and Gwendal looked at Wolfram like he had never seen such a creature before.

"Romantically... pursue..."

"Yes."

"Wolfram, you can't be serious?" Yuuri spoke up. Wolfram noted that it didn't look like he liked the idea.

At.

All.

"I'm dead serious."

"Why?" Conrart asked.

"Because he... interests me."

"And you couldn't have found someone else other than him interesting?" Gwendal snapped.

"I can't help who I fall into interest with, Gwendal. And it's not like you will let anyone else get close enough for me to find them interesting. Besides – I think it would be good for both kingdoms if I eventually married him."

"Married him?" both Gwendal and Yuuri exclaimed.

"Listen, Wolfram – I don't trust him," Gwendal said, while giving Yuuri a sideways look. "How would you know – if he seemed to return your affections – that he wasn't plotting something?"

"I wouldn't. I guess I'd have to be like His Majesty and simply put my blind trust in him," Wolfram said, purposely digging at the Maou. "Besides, if he returned even a quarter of my affections for him, let's just say I'd be a lucky man."

As expected, most of the people in the room took it an entirely different way than he intended.

"You... care about him that much?" Yuuri asked, hesitantly.

"If I didn't care about him, I wouldn't be doing this. I care about him a lot."

They still didn't get it. He loved playing games with words.

"What brought on these feelings, Wolfram?" Conrart asked.

Wolfram looked at him, then turned away quickly from his studying glance. "It was remembering the details of the first incident with him against the wall," he said, and blushed again.

Gwendal gritted his teeth. "Wolfram..."

"What can I say? I'm attracted to him. More attracted to _him_ than _anyone_ in a long time," he said, stressing certain words, hoping that Yuuri would catch on. "Besides, he must hold some attraction for me since he did that to me," he said, lying through his teeth. "Just to think, if you all hadn't showed up, we probably would have made lov-"

"Enough! Just stop!" Gwendal said as he pounded his desk, looking like he may lose it at any moment.

"Well, I for one think this is a good thing," Yozak said, cheerfully.

"What?" Gwendal said, and looked sharply at him.

"Well, I think Wolfram is happy. Happier than he has been in a long time. I think this new romance is doing him good."

Yuuri gawked at Yozak, while Gwendal started to mentally count to twenty lest he dive across the desk and do the very same thing to Yozak that Wolfram did to Saralegui.

"And even if you don't agree with him dating King Saralegui, several people have shown interest in Wolfram ever since he ended his engagement with His Majesty. You can't turn them away forever," Yozak said.

Gwendal, who was in the thirties, decided to go on up to a hundred upon remembering all the open leers and unworthy suitors his little brother had received in the past few months.

"I heard that the other guy he danced with last time is quite entranced with Wolfram. Also, Gwendal, your cousin has had his eye on Wolfram for quite some time," Yozak said, continuing to instigate.

"I will not allow Wolfram to date that perverted cousin of mine!" Gwendal exclaimed.

"Aw, Gwen, everyone's a pervert according to you when it comes to Wolfram. Just look at how you ran off that noble when he tried to propose to Wolfram last week."

"Last week?" Yuuri exclaimed. "I wasn't aware that something like that happened!"

Gwendal glared at Yozak. "I hadn't planned on informing His Majesty of that situation yet, Gurrier."

"What situation?" asked Yuuri.

"Well, Your Majes... Yuuri. Ever since your engagement to Wolfram ended, there have been several suitors that have come here to seek Wolfram's hand. Though Gwendal has managed to run each of them off, that still hasn't stopped others from coming," Conrart explained.

"I see," Yuuri said.

"However, I think Wolfram pursuing King Saralegui would be most beneficial."

"Yozak-" Gwendal started.

"Gwendal, he has a point about the stronger alliance. The son of a former Maou married to King Saralegui has a lot of potential," Günter added, inadvertently assisting Wolfram's plot.

"But I doubt that Saralegui is interested in Wolfram that way," Yuuri said, hurriedly.

Wolfram gave him his best hurt look, and gleefully watched as he slid down into his seat in shame.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way..." the Maou started.

Yozak raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure you can say he isn't interested? What about that time he coerced Wolfram into almost having sex with him? And while all of you simply believe that Wolfram was being hotheaded the night he attacked King Saralegui and ended his engagement, I suspect he got Wolfram upset in order to do so – out of jealousy of the feelings Wolfram had for you and not him back then."

Yuuri stared at him, stunned.

"What do you think about all this?" Gwendal asked Conrart out of frustration.

Conrart, who was well-aware of some sort of conspiracy between Wolfram and Yozak, held his tongue. He looked over at Yuuri, and was amused to find that that he looked quite bothered about the whole thing. He supposed that perhaps the Maou wasn't as disinterested in Wolfram as he claimed to be. He decided not to interfere in his brother's game, yet. He figured Wolfram had a very good reason for what he was up to if Yozak was assisting him with it.

"Well, ultimately it's Wolfram's decision as to who he chooses to pursue," he said, suppressing his amusement at the betrayed look Yuuri shot him.

"Even if it's that troublemaker King?" Gwendal practically roared.

"As long as my brother is happy, I'm fine with it," Conrart said, and didn't miss Wolfram's surprised glance at him. He gave him a smile that he hoped conveyed that he was on to him.

Wolfram took the smile as it was intended, and mentally added another ally to his list. "Thanks, brother."

"So you're just going to pursue King Saralegui? Just like that? Aren't you still in love with the Maou?" Gwendal asked, playing his last card. He mentally kicked himself when he saw his brother wince.

Conrart and Günter looked sharply at Gwendal, while both Yozak and Yuuri's mouths hung open at his bold remark, awaiting Wolfram's response.

Wolfram quickly recovered. "Did I not end my engagement? My feelings for the Maou no longer matter. I recognized that the Maou did not return them, and now he is free to pursue who he pleases. As am I," Wolfram said, dismissively.

Gwendal noted that Wolfram avoided his main question, but refused to restate it. He simply stared at Wolfram, his mind trying to find another way to prevent his brother from making what he thought was a huge mistake.

"Aw Gwendal, at least let him try to pursue King Saralegui. I know! When the peacekeeping trip comes up next month, let him go along!" Yozak said, stating the main goal he and Wolfram had been trying to achieve for the past month.

"Absolutely not!" Gwendal cried out.

"Why not? I see no problem with it." Conrart said.

"Wolfram attacked him! Can you imagine if something like that happened again?"

"That's old news. Nothing happened between them at the last ball. I heard they even danced together!" Yozak said, as if he weren't there to witness it.

"I forbid it!"

"Brother, please!" Wolfram pleaded. "I would never hurt him like that, again. I'm ashamed that I did so in the first place. That's why I started to send letters and gifts months ago, to apologize and make it up to him. However, when he started to write me back, I saw a side of him that people rarely see. I like that side of him, which is why I want to try this with him. Please, let me go with you."

"No," Gwendal gritted out.

"It's ultimately the Maou's decision whether or not Wolfram can go," Yozak said innocently, earning him one of Gwendal's best death glares.

Wolfram turned to Yuuri. "Your Majesty, please... let me go on this trip."

Yuuri, who was still reeling over Wolfram's reply to Gwendal's question, simply stared at him, wordlessly.

"Your Majesty, don't listen to him! Who knows what kind of trouble he could get into!"

"Your Majesty, I promise I'll be on my best behavior. Please, I want to see him again so very badly."

After staring in Wolfram's eyes for a few moments, Yuuri's mouth betrayed his thoughts on the matter. "Alright."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Wolfram said, happily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to discuss with Mother before she leaves for her next trip," he said as he got up to leave.

He paused in his steps, and turned back around. "One more thing," he said.

"What?" Gwendal asked.

"Promise me, all of you, that you won't interfere. That means, no asking him about his feelings for me, no commenting about my feelings for him, and don't embarrass him by bringing up our letter exchange. In fact, don't bring up anything about me and him, period. Please, let me handle this on my own. His heart is more delicate than you believe, and he is afraid to love. I must tread carefully, without interference."

Yuuri was simply surprised by Wolfram's passionate plea about Saralegui, and nodded his head. Gwendal simply grunted, and crossed his arms while everyone else agreed.

"Thanks again," Wolfram said with a smile, and left the room.

"Your Majesty, I sincerely hope you don't regret this decision," Gwendal said, in defeat.

"So do I," Yuuri mumbled as he stared out the window at the vultures that passed by.

* * *

Later on that night after his discussion with his mother, Wolfram once again pulled Yozak into his room to discuss the newest additions to his endgame plan.

"If you manage to pull this off, it will be spectacular," Yozak said, upon hearing the details.

Wolfram smiled. "I know."

"I had His Majesty overhear your gossip session today," Yozak said. "You should have seen his face when Hedda and the maids were discussing the 'sexual tension' between you and Gwendal, and betting on how long before you two let it out on his desk," he chuckled.

"Serves him right," Wolfram snickered, imagining the expression Yuuri had probably made. "Now, perhaps, he understands how I felt all those years putting up with gossip about him."

"I still say he's jealous."

"Yuuri? Jealous? Yeah, right!" Wolfram scoffed. "He simply misses me a little, that's all."

He sighed upon thinking about his engagement being over, and suppressed the small amount of sadness it still brought him. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that it didn't hurt as much anymore, that he actually felt a little better now that it was over.

Well, relieved was more like the feeling he felt. He didn't feel on edge anymore, like he was waiting for the moment when Yuuri would finally end it all and run off with some woman.

Besides, he was enjoying playing with Yuuri a little bit.

Alright, a lot.

He knew he was running Yuuri up the wall with his refusal to call him by his name, and he also knew that the Maou was upset over the new distance between them. Wolfram knew it wasn't very nice of him to do it, but the bratty part of him enjoyed it. He saw it as a small way of venting his frustrations over three years of unrequited love.

"He didn't look very pleased about your desire to pursue that King," Yozak said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Perhaps he finally sees through that facade of his, and doesn't trust him?"

"Or maybe he's simply jealous?"

"Right."

Yozak rolled his eyes and sighed. "Since you refuse to consider that His Majesty is jealous, I'll drop it. Still, I feel slightly guilty assisting you with the last part of this plan, especially considering the potential fallout."

"I'm counting on that fallout. If you want to stop though, I understand."

"Are you kidding? I said I feel slightly guilty, I didn't say I wanted to stop. This has been one hell of a fun ride, there's no way I'd miss the finale!"


	8. Chain of Fools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolfram is finally in Saralegui's lair as the game continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 08: Chain of Fools

King Saralegui and Wolfram von Bielefeld stared at each other across the dinner table.

Saralegui had invited the Maou to Small Shimaron to discuss updates to the alliance between their respective countries in depth. Wolfram had been allowed to come along thanks to his grandiose act of being charming, redeemed, and passionate – and due to Yozak's help, as well.

Both men were thinking about their last encounter as Yuuri, Gwendal, Conrart and the others chatted about various things. Saralegui was wondering if the other man had really given up, while Wolfram was plotting his next move.

Wolfram glanced down from Saralegui and frowned, putting on his best face of misery. He made sure not to say too much during dinner – and kept an aura of melancholy surrounding himself. This was all an act to keep Saralegui off-guard and believing that he had really given up.

He noticed that Yuuri and Gwendal kept giving him looks of confusion, so he bit his lip to make it seem as if he were nervous about pursuing his "feelings" for Saralegui to them.

Saralegui, though he had implied that he was finished with Wolfram, found himself wanting to make him even more miserable than he already seemed just because he could. He also wanted to remind Wolfram how badly he would destroy him if he attempted to play his game again.

"I hope you all are satisfied with your accommodations for the night. Your Majesty, your room is close to mine in case you need anything," King Saralegui said suggestively, and smiled at Yuuri.

The frown on Wolfram's face was taken different ways by different people.

"Also, I just had a new, more private bath added on. That will be the one that you will use," he said.

"Ah..." Yuuri started, and glanced sideways at Wolfram to gauge his reaction.

"Lord von Bielefeld may join you, if it pleases you," Saralegui said, and Wolfram gave him his best look of dread.

Throughout the rest of dinner, Saralegui continued to say suggestive things to Yuuri. Wolfram was amused at how Yuuri would look at him before saying anything in return to the other man. Gwendal looked like he wanted to say something, but Wolfram gave him a pointed look that reminded him of his promise not to interfere.

Through it all, he still managed to fool both Saralegui as well as Gwendal and the rest.

After he finished, Saralegui pushed himself away from the table. "If you all will excuse me, I'm not feeling quite up to par and I'd like to lie down for awhile. The help will take care of your needs."

Saralegui fashionably held his hand to his head as he glided out of the room, and it took all of Wolfram's willpower not to laugh at the audacity of his act. He knew very well that this was all a part of his game – and he couldn't wait to play it.

* * *

"This feels so very good," Yuuri practically purred as he slipped into the bath.

Wolfram grunted his agreement as he did the same.

The water was just the right temperature, and the bath scents were delightful – but not too overpowering. Wolfram found himself leaning back and relaxing, simply listening as Yuuri rattled on about the various events that day.

Saralegui had retired over two hours before, and Wolfram wondered if he was going to show up in the baths like he suspected. After all, they were planning on leaving early in the morning, and if Saralegui was going to decide to mess with him anymore he'd do so during bath time. Wolfram wasn't worried if he didn't show, however. He would get around to him eventually, before the night was over.

Wolfram thought about Saralegui. His delicate frame. His seductive smile. His shiny hair. Wolfram remembered their first encounter against the wall, and recalled how he had ran his fingers through the his hair – and how he had pulled it slightly back so that he could have better access to the slender neck that he had trailed kisses down.

Wolfram felt himself starting to react, and tried his best to push those thoughts out of his head before Yuuri noticed him in a state that he had been hiding for _years_. He was more than slightly annoyed that it was Saralegui that was making him stir like that.

"Wolfram, are you listening to me?" Yuuri asked, disturbing him out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, what was that?" he asked, politely.

He heard Yuuri sigh. "I really wish you would quit calling me that, you know?"

"It is only proper," he said, in response. He knew he shouldn't be so standoffish with Yuuri, but he had his reasons for being so.

"What is it with you lately? You've... changed. I miss the old you," Yuuri said, softly.

Wolfram was startled to hear that, but recovered and gave Yuuri his brightest smile. "Did you not tell me that you were sick of my behavior? Well, I've changed Your Majesty, just like you wanted me to."

"Wolfram, I didn't mean it when I said that to you. I just don't know what came over me at that moment."

Wolfram knew exactly what had come over Yuuri at that moment, but remained silent about the entire matter. "Well, Your Majesty – it doesn't matter now. For whatever reason, it was said. Obviously those were your true feelings, even if you didn't mean to say them out loud," Wolfram said with a shrug.

"But I miss my friend," Yuuri said, sadly. "I would give anything just to have things back the way they were between us."

It hurt Wolfram to hear Yuuri say that in such a sad voice. He made a quick vow to Shinou that once everything was done, he'd apologize for being distant. He also promised to attempt to mend his friendship with Yuuri.

However, he couldn't pass up a golden moment to play on his feelings.

"Perhaps, one day, I will once again be worthy of your friendship," Wolfram said. "But as long as my reputation stands in ruins thanks to that incident, it can't be."

"Reputation? Incident? What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it, Yuuri. Just know that, whatever happens, I hope you take my side next time."

Yuuri, who was completely confused by what Wolfram said but happy at hearing his name used by Wolfram for the first time in months, simply nodded.

The two slipped into silence as they resumed bathing themselves.

After a few more moments, Wolfram heard the doors to the baths open behind him, and tensed. He looked behind him, and was unsurprised when his suspicions were confirmed when he laid eyes on Saralegui.

"Thought I'd join you two," Saralegui said.

Wolfram watched as he slid out of his robe, and into the water. He wondered what Saralegui was up to – and when he heard Yuuri nervously laugh next to him, he knew the Maou was thinking something similar.

Saralegui looked at him, and then turned his gaze onto Yuuri. Wolfram raised his eyebrow at his predatory look. He had suspected that if Saralegui would bother messing with him further, his move would include using Yuuri as a game piece. Wolfram knew that whatever Saralegui did in the baths, it wouldn't matter after he retaliated later on – when he would be doing some using of his own.

Saralegui stared intently at Yuuri. "I was wondering... is it possible that you could wash my back?" he asked, sensually.

Wolfram was not surprised when Saralegui smirked at him before turning to display his bare back, but he refused to say anything – at least not yet. He looked away, putting on his best upset look.

"I don't think..." Yuuri started, glancing at Wolfram.

Wolfram was highly amused to find that Yuuri expected to be bailed out by him. A part of him wanted to stay silent just to see him squirm further – but he decided to let him off the hook for the moment.

"Your Majesty, it seems my king is a bit uncomfortable with that request. However, I'm more than willing to assist you with it, if you will allow it," he said in a quiet voice, ignoring Yuuri's shocked look at his volunteering.

"That's fine by me," Saralegui said.

Wolfram moved over towards Saralegui, and took the washcloth from his hand. He gently started to wash the slender back in front of him. A few seconds into it, Saralegui moaned and proclaimed how good it felt.

"I'm not doing it too hard, am I? Or do you need me to go a little harder?" Wolfram asked, his voice low and suggestive.

"It's hard enough, definitely," Saralegui said in a seductive voice, not to be topped by Wolfram.

He heard Yuuri laugh in his nervous manner again, and wondered what was going through his mind. He secretly hoped it was jealousy, but knowing Yuuri it was probably the desire to exit. Quickly.

Wolfram was semi-amused, and semi-annoyed, at his former fiancé's predictability when he suddenly spoke up.

"I'm going to the bedroom!" Yuuri said, his voice sounding somewhat flustered.

By the time Wolfram turned to watch him, Yuuri had already gotten out of the tub and wrapped his towel around him. He watched, without bothering to move, as Yuuri exited the baths.

"Aren't you going to follow him?" Saralegui whispered in his ear.

The light breath of air against his ear as well as the naked king pressed against him caused Wolfram to shiver, and the state that he had so successfully suppressed earlier in front of Yuuri started to reemerge. He quickly counted down in his mind in order to retain control of his situation.

"You aren't done with my back, Lord von Bielefeld," Saralegui said. "I have delicate skin, and I will itch horribly if it isn't rinsed thoroughly. Please, finish it for me."

Wolfram suddenly remembered just what he was supposed to be doing, and turned back to look at him. "Of course, I'll finish it," he said, softly.

Saralegui nodded, and turned back around. Wolfram gently started to rinse his back. He had to contain himself every time Saralegui moaned his appreciation. What was probably less than a minute or so seemed so long to Wolfram, and when the final group of suds ran down Saralegui's back, he placed the washcloth in the other man's hand.

"All done," he said, and started to move away from Saralegui.

Saralegui quickly turned around, and grabbed his hand. "Would you like for me to return the favor?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"It isn't necessary, Your Majesty," Wolfram said quietly, and moved out of his grip to get out of the bath. After he pulled himself out, he stood there with his back to Saralegui, in all of his naked glory, and slowly dried himself off.

He wrapped his towel around his waist before turning around. He was not surprised that he caught Saralegui looking at him, and hoped that he had been entertained by his show.

"Good night, Your Majesty," he mumbled, his eyes downcast.

"Good night," Saralegui said, slowly.

Wolfram turned, and left the baths.

* * *

Saralegui watched Wolfram exit the baths, disappointed by the lack of further action. He did his best to ignore the small voice in him cheering about having received a nice view of all of Wolfram's assets out of the raw deal.

And what nice assets they were.

So it seemed that the Bielefeld brat really was done playing with him. And he had thought the slightly suggestive things Wolfram had said while washing his back were going somewhere.

He tried to chalk it up as Wolfram's way of trying to make the Maou jealous, but Wolfram didn't seem very bothered when he came on to Yuuri as many times as he could during dinner. He guessed that Wolfram had given up on him as well.

He was now bored with it all. What was the fun in playing alone?

He sighed as he got out of the bath, and made his way back to his room.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Yozak asked.

"Is he asleep yet?"

"Out like a light. I made sure that the nightly tea that was sent up to his room had a _very_ soothing effect on him. Here, take this," Yozak said, handing him a vial of orange goop.

"What's this?"

"When you want him to wake up, open it and wave it underneath his nose."

"Excellent."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, for everything. Let's go."


	9. Final Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game between Saralegui and Wolfram comes to a shaky halt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Up – Chapter 09: Final Act

Saralegui's personal guards didn't question it when one of his private maids approached his room for a night time visit. After all, Saralegui had a habit of, well, _going through them_ at an alarming rate.

Wolfram mentally praised Yozak for scouting the place in advance and learning all of the inner workings of Saralegui's castle.

He had been beyond amused (as well as shocked) to find out that King Saralegui had a healthy appetite for young, redheaded maids, which was why he disguised himself as one.

He walked right past the incompetent guards and entered the room, not having missed their disgusting smirks due to what they thought "she" was getting ready to do with Saralegui. They wouldn't be so very misinformed for long, though – not after his final act.

He closed the door behind him gently, and took in his surroundings.

Saralegui's naked body was curled up in the middle of the bed, and he was softly snoring. Wolfram walked over to the bed, and clapped his hands in front of his face. Yozak was right about him being completely out of it; Saralegui didn't even stir.

Wolfram lit the candles in the room and quickly removed the bonnet, wig, and maid dress that he was wearing – revealing only a a thin pair of pajama pants underneath.

While Saralegui still slept on, Wolfram removed three small bottles from the apron of the dress he had worn in. Since Saralegui had used some sort of concoction to provoke him into attacking, he was going to return the favor with a few concoctions of his own. After all, he wasn't just a descendant of Shinou the original trickster (which the Sage had drunkenly revealed to him one night while trying to get into his pants), he was also the son of the 26th Maou – Cheri. Why not take a page out of her book as well?

He picked up the blue bottle, shook its contents, and opened the top. He poured a generous amount of the scented liquid into his hands, and rubbed it into his hair, face and neck.

Wolfram closed that bottle, and put it back in the pocket. He then grabbed the red one and uncapped it. It had a more lotion-like consistency, and he gently applied the lightly scented concoction to Saralegui's skin. He rubbed a little under Saralegui's nose just to be safe.

Finally, he took the purple bottle, and opened it up. He gently lifted Saralegui's head and opened his mouth, slowly allowing the tasteless formula to trickle down his throat.

After everything was set, he walked over and picked up the vial that Yozak had given him, and waited for his sign, which would let him know when to proceed.

* * *

When Wolfram heard a familiar series of light knocks at the door, he knew that the guards had been distracted by a "slight disturbance" outside the castle.

It was finally time to act.

He quickly opened the vial, and waved the strongly scented contents underneath Saralegui's nose.

As he started to come to, Wolfram closed the vial and tossed it on his pile of things that Yozak would quickly remove once this was all over with. He watched as Saralegui moaned and groggily opened his eyes, his sleepy brain not fully understanding what was going on.

Wolfram looked down at Saralegui, and gave him the most passionate look that he could muster up. "Wake up, sleepy. We need to talk about something," he said, sexily. He gently ran one of his hands through Saralegui's hair for the full effect.

Saralegui – who's head was rapidly clouding with something even worse than sleep – sat up and gave Wolfram a confused look. "Why are you in my bedroom?"

"Like I said, we need to talk."

"What... about?" Saralegui asked, slowly.

"About us."

"Us?"

"Yes."

"What about us?" Saralegui asked, drawling out the words.

"About earlier. I know you was watching me when I was drying off," Wolfram said in a seductive voice. "Did you like what you saw?"

Saralegui said nothing, and continued to look at Wolfram.

"Are you alright? Surely, you aren't getting sick again like you were earlier?" he asked, and placed his hand on Saralegui's forehead, for emphasis.

"I'm...fine?" Saralegui said, confusedly.

"Sure you are," Wolfram said, and let his hand slide down Saralegui's face.

He gently stroked Saralegui's cheek, mentally noting how he leaned into his touch. He moved his hand down further, and gently touched his neck.

"To think I ever violently bruised you here... I'm so sorry. I must have been out of my mind."

"You _were_. I made sure of it," Saralegui admitted.

"Indeed. I won't be happy until I can truly rectify that situation," he said, meaning it in a completely different way than Saralegui took it.

Wolfram gently pulled Saralegui's naked body toward him, and started to nibble and kiss on his neck. He heard Saralegui gasp loudly, which satisfied him to no end. He allowed his hands to slide down Saralegui's body, gently – and sensually – kneading his soft skin.

When Saralegui pulled him into a lying position on top of him, Wolfram was not surprised to find that Saralegui was completely aroused. As Saralegui frantically started to rub against him, Wolfram realized that Saralegui was becoming affected by all of the substances that he had used.

The substances in both the blue and red bottles, when used alone, were powerful with their own set of pheromones. The liquid in the blue bottle caused a person to be absolutely truthful, while the contents in the red bottle caused someone to become much bolder than they normally would be in any given situation.

The internally-taken liquid in the purple bottle, however, was neutral – unless activated by a combination of scents.

It just so happened that the two pheromones he used were the combination needed to turn that neutral formula into something that caused Saralegui to become completely delirious with passion. So very delirious, in fact, that he was beyond reasonable thought.

The best part?

Wolfram was immune to the powers of the scents affecting Saralegui thanks to one of his mother's special teas. Also, since he didn't take any of the purple bottle's contents, he was unaffected by the extreme passion that Saralegui was experiencing.

Yet, even without being affected by the concoctions, he still found himself highly aroused as Saralegui started to become more passionate in his kisses and touches. Wolfram was surprised to discover that he wanted to allow things to go further, himself.

However, making love to Saralegui wasn't his mission.

The complete, and absolute, humiliation of him was.

He decided to put the final play into motion.

"Your Majesty, we should stop here," Wolfram said, breathlessly. He tried to get off of Saralegui, but he wrapped his legs around his waist and held him, steadfastly.

"No! I don't want to stop, want you!" Saralegui said, forcefully.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a good idea," Wolfram groaned. If he didn't get up soon, there was no way he could complete his plan. Not when the man underneath him was affecting him so very much.

"This is a great idea! What are you talking about?"

He pried himself out from between Saralegui's legs, pushed up off of him, and moved quickly to the edge of the bed.

"You can't go! You can't leave me like this!" Saralegui pleaded, his voice desperate.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it with you," Wolfram said, and got off of the bed. He dashed over to the door, flung it open, and fled.

Saralegui did just what he expected him to do.

He gave chase.

* * *

Yuuri was just settling down into bed and about to go to sleep when he heard Wolfram out in the hall crying out for help. He quickly jumped up to see what the commotion was about.

When he ran out of his room he found Wolfram, his face full of fear, being pressed up against the wall and being ground into by a very naked, very aroused Saralegui.

"Your Majesty, get him off of me!"

"Stay back! He will make love to me this instant!" Saralegui insisted. He groped Wolfram's erection through his pants, causing him to yelp. "See? He wants it as much as I do!"

Yuuri stood, stock still, staring at the two men.

"I don't want it, anyone would react to being touched like this! Even His Majesty would!"

Yuuri still couldn't speak, he simply stared at the two – focusing on where Saralegui's hand continued to grope Wolfram.

"I don't care how he would react, you are going to do it to me, and you are going to do it to me now!"

"I refuse! I don't love you! I can't even stand you!"

Yuuri was shocked by Wolfram's declaration, especially since he was so certain that Wolfram was trying to romance King Saralegui.

"I don't care, you're going to love me tonight!"

Yuuri watched as the two men continued to wrestle, with Saralegui grinding into Wolfram at every moment he possibly could.

It was then that the others – who had heard all the noise as well – rounded the corner.

They all stared, frozen in place, at the scene in front of them.

"Don't just stand there Your Majesty, do something!" Wolfram shouted.

"You are no longer engaged to him, Maou – he is none of your concern!"

"It's your fault I'm not engaged to him anymore!"

"It's your fault! I only made you attack me, I didn't make you end your engagement!"

Yuuri was snapped out of his shock over the two men with that confession. "What do you mean you made him attack you?" he asked Saralegui, his eyes narrowing.

Saralegui, who was still very affected by Wolfram's concoctions, answered truthfully. "I had a bottle of pheromones with me that night which made him so angry he couldn't think straight – and neither could you. But what does it matter to you? You are now free to get with one of those opportunists that are only interested in you because you are the Maou – while I'm free to have my way with him! You had your chance, it's my turn!"

It was then that Yuuri understood what Wolfram said to him in the baths about his reputation. He remembered his harsh words towards him during that incident, and the way that Wolfram vented his frustrations in return. He thought about how he had automatically assumed that Wolfram was at fault, just because Wolfram used to have a habit of flying off the deep end – even though he had not done so in quite a long time. He recalled the lecture that Wolfram had received over the entire event, how Wolfram had been admonished harshly for something he was innocent of.

Most importantly, however, he remembered how Wolfram had been distant with him, not calling him by his name and avoiding him whenever it was possible.

All over Saralegui provoking him.

He felt himself getting angry.

"Yuuri, help me!"

Yuuri quickly grabbed Saralegui, taking care not to touch any particular parts. He half-tossed the other man off of Wolfram.

"Oh no you don't! He's mine!," Saralegui screamed, still beyond reason.

Yuuri, who was doing his best to shield Wolfram without actually touching him, was knocked into him. Saralegui was still trying to get at Wolfram, and reached around Yuuri to grab at Wolfram.

Yuuri, who was pressed against an aroused Wolfram and had an aroused Saralegui pressed against the back of him, fell forward to the ground – trapping Wolfram underneath him.

Yuuri looked up at the extremely furious face of of a visibly shaking Gwendal, and the shocked faces of Conrart, several guards, and everyone else. His eyes went to Yozak, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, casually taking it all in. He felt Saralegui – still screaming about all the ways he wanted to defile Wolfram's body – trying to pull him up off of Wolfram.

He then looked down into Wolfram's flushed face, and noticed his eyes were filled with what suspiciously looked like expectation.

'_Just know that, whatever happens, I hope you take my side next time_,' Wolfram had said to him in the baths.

A jumble of emotions surged through Yuuri's brain at the moment, ones that he could easily acknowledge and others that he vehemently repressed. The ground underneath him started to shake, and he did the best thing he could do in that situation.

His mind went blank.

* * *

Wolfram watched as Yuuri's facial features sharpened, and his hair grew longer. He felt the body pressed up against him grow harder, as well.

The Maou looked down at Wolfram, his eyes unreadable.

"I am fully aware that you are not innocent in tonight's events," he said to him. "In fact, I'm certain that you planned for this to happen. I have the right mind to punish you as well for being so manipulative of me."

The Maou's eyes softened slightly. "However, due to the circumstances, I understand why you felt the need to resort to such behavior. Next time, though, I won't be so lenient about being used by you – of all people."

Wolfram simply nodded, and watched as the Maou pushed himself up off him. The Maou then turned his gaze on Saralegui, who – due to not being as close to the scent that Wolfram was wearing – was suddenly experiencing an highly-unwanted clarity of mind. "I have given you many a chance, yet you still are not above manipulating those closest to me, as well as myself. Tonight, however, long-overdue justice will be served."

The Maou then _smiled_, and it chilled Wolfram to the bone.

As odd forms of light started to shoot out towards Saralegui, Wolfram realized then that the ground shaking wasn't caused by the Maou, but by Gwendal. A strong pair of arms pulled him up off the ground.

"Looks like the final act is among us," Yozak whispered in his ear, as Gwendal let out a shrill cry of fury that could probably be heard way back at Blood Pledge Castle.

* * *

A week later, two men lounged around in the shrine gardens, carrying on a casual conversation.

"That was a very evil thing you did."

"I know."

"You seduced the king of Small Shimaron after drugging him; caused him to humiliate himself and confess to humiliating you; and manipulated the Maou into punishing him quite severely."

"Yes."

"It was bratty, vengeful, irresponsible, and could have potentially caused a war."

"It was also completely humiliating for him, which is why he wouldn't dare consider a war. It's bad enough that he'll have to deal with whispered rumors – which will at least blow over, eventually. A full-out war would bring to light the whole situation – and he wouldn't want that. All of those other things I fully own up to, though."

"Don't you feel any remorse at all?"

"No."

"You really are my descendant," Shinou said, his voice full of pride.

Wolfram smiled at him.

"It will take a while before they rebuild the section of King Saralegui's castle that was destroyed," Shinou said.

"I know. Gwendal really did a number on it," Wolfram said. He snickered at the memory of Gwendal, in sheer rage, standing there screaming ancient mazoku curses with his fists in the air as the walls crumbled. "The Maou had to restrain him in the end, which was no small feat. Had he not, that whole wing would have come down on us."

"Speaking of the Maou, the 'Justice' he dealt out to King Saralegui was quite interesting," Shinou said, his voice filled with amusement.

"Water tentacles. I still can't believe it even though I was there to see it," Wolfram said, shaking his head.

The way those tentacles had wrapped around Saralegui's naked body and lifted him into the air had been most amusing, and he still couldn't prevent himself from laughing about it at the most random of times. It especially ticked him considering that he had once come across a nasty book of Shouri's that had depicted a similar sight. To think that the Maou could come up with something so perverted.

"I was even surprised at Lord Weller joining in on it," Shinou said.

"Oh yes, the haircut he gave Saralegui was most interesting. Though, I'm still shocked he did that considering that he knew I was up to something."

"I guess seeing his baby brother being assaulted made him snap, just like Gwendal."

"I counted on those types of reactions."

"I see Gwendal is still upset with you over lying about trying to woo Saralegui and causing such a scene."

"I think he's more relieved than anything that I'm not trying to marry him, though that lecture he gave me got on my nerves. At least Yuuri isn't as upset as he should be over my using him – which is, well, Yuuri-like of him."

"Probably because he doesn't know how far you went with your trickery. I wonder what he'd say if he knew you were the maid saying all of those scandalizing things?"

"He'd probably whine at me for tricking him and causing him to almost have a heart attack. That rumor that I snuck into Shouri's room last time he was here really shook him – especially the part about the loud moaning sounds 'Hedda' heard."

"So... do you think Saralegui will bother you again?"

Wolfram knew that while Saralegui was down, he wasn't completely out. He also knew that one day there would be some sort of retaliation. As far as he was concerned, however, there was no kind of revenge that Saralegui could deal him that he couldn't deal back.

After having a taste of playing games and liking them, it was practically guaranteed he would.

After considering the question for a few more moments, Wolfram honestly answered.

"Hopefully. He's become my new hobby!"

* * *

A month after the whole incident, Wolfram stood in his room, holding a short-but-significant letter from someone he had anticipated hearing from once more.

_Dear Lord von Bielefeld,_

_Even I have to admit, that last act was outstanding. I applaud how well you pulled it off. However, don't think this is over between us. It isn't – not by a long shot._

_I fully look forward to playing with you some more, in the future._

_Patiently awaiting the next round,_

_King Saralegui_

"I'm looking forward to it as well," Wolfram said, with a smile.

\- End -


End file.
